AI for Senior Leadership Teams at Douglas Macmillan Hospice

Client: Douglas Macmillan Hospice

Event: AI4SLT

Industry: Hospice

Date: 5th March 2026

Consultant: Rufus Curnow

Embedding AI Understanding in a Human-Centred Care Organisation

Douglas Macmillan Hospice engaged Dixon AI to deliver an AI4SLT session for its senior leadership team in Stoke-on-Trent. The workshop focused on building a grounded understanding of AI within a highly human-centred context, where care delivery remains inherently personal. The session introduced practical applications of AI while maintaining clear boundaries around where technology supports, rather than replaces, human judgement. This aligns with Stage 2 (Leadership Commitment) of the AI Transformation Playbook, establishing the conditions for informed, confident leadership engagement.

Douglas Macmillan Hospice operates in palliative care, where trust, empathy and human interaction are central to service delivery. This shaped the tone and direction of the session. Leadership engagement with AI was driven by a need to understand how emerging tools could support the organisation without compromising its core mission. At this stage in the Playbook, the organisation is building awareness and beginning to form a shared perspective on AI’s role across the business.

Objectives of the Event

The session was designed to:

• Build a clear and practical understanding of AI for the senior leadership team

• Explore where AI can support organisational functions without impacting patient care

• Address risks and concerns associated with AI adoption in a healthcare setting

• Introduce the structure of an AI operating environment and early-stage strategy

• Establish a foundation for future exploration and capability development
  

What Happened During the Event

The workshop combined discussion, demonstration and applied exploration. Conversations were anchored in the realities of hospice care, ensuring relevance at every stage.

Participants examined the current AI landscape, including different model types and their capabilities. This provided a shared baseline for understanding how tools operate and where they may be applied. The session then moved into practical examples, focusing on functions such as communication, fundraising and operational support.

A significant portion of the discussion centred on risk. Leaders explored concerns around data, governance and the ethical implications of AI in a care environment. These discussions were not abstract; they were grounded in real scenarios relevant to the organisation’s work.

The session also introduced what an AI environment and early-stage strategy could look like within healthcare. This included how organisations can begin structuring their approach without overcommitting to specific tools or use cases too early.

Throughout, the emphasis remained clear: AI should support the organisation’s work, not redefine its purpose.

Insights and Takeaways

One of the clearest insights from the session was the importance of defining boundaries early. In a hospice setting, this is not optional. The distinction between where AI can assist and where human care must remain unchanged shaped the entire discussion.

The session reinforced that AI adoption is not uniform across functions. In Douglas Macmillan Hospice’s case, areas such as communication, fundraising and internal operations present more immediate opportunities, while clinical care remains firmly human-led.

Another key takeaway was the value of addressing risk openly. Rather than avoiding the topic, the leadership team engaged directly with potential concerns. This created a more balanced view of AI, one that recognises both its limitations and its practical uses.

The group also demonstrated the typical characteristics of organisations at an early stage of the Playbook: curiosity combined with caution. This combination, when supported correctly, provides a strong foundation for sustainable progress.

Impact

The session established a shared understanding of AI across the senior leadership team. Leaders left with greater clarity on where AI fits within the organisation and where it does not.

It also created alignment around the principle that AI should enhance supporting functions while preserving the integrity of patient care. This clarity reduces ambiguity and supports more consistent decision-making as the organisation continues its exploration.

Importantly, the session shifted AI from an abstract concept to something tangible. Leaders engaged directly with practical examples and began to see how AI could be applied within their own context.

What Happens Next

Following AI4SLT, the organisation is positioned to move into Stage 3 of the AI Transformation Playbook: Organisational AI Literacy.

The next step is to extend understanding beyond the leadership team, building a shared language and baseline knowledge across the organisation. This will allow staff to explore AI tools in a structured and supported way, with clear guidance on appropriate use.

As literacy develops, the organisation will be able to identify practical use cases and begin early-stage experimentation in non-clinical areas.

Closing Insight

AI adoption in healthcare is shaped less by technology and more by context. In organisations where human interaction defines value, the role of AI must be carefully positioned. The Douglas Macmillan Hospice session demonstrates that progress begins not with tools, but with clarity about purpose and boundaries.

AI can extend capacity, improve coordination and support communication. It does not replace the human element that sits at the centre of care.

Organisations that recognise this distinction early are better placed to adopt AI in a way that strengthens, rather than disrupts, what they do best.

AI transformation in healthcare organisations begins with leadership alignment, followed by structured AI literacy and careful, context-driven application.